Yemenite Jews to Monsey But Not to Satmer?

The controversy about the rescue of 113 Jews from Yemen to Monsey, NY continues. The Jewish Agency and the World Zionist Organization claimed they should be brought to Israel and certainly not to the anti-Zionist Satmer community in Monsey.

The Jerusalem Post reports that Yisroel Schulman, a New York attorney who is involved in the resettlement, says the Yemenite Jews will not be absorbed into the Satmer community. They will be given a choice of schools for their children and will be able to choose which segment of Monsey’s diverse Jewish community they wish to identify with.

The Jewish Agency is not convinced. The Yemenite Jews who have immigrated to the US in the past have almost all been absorbed into the Satmer community. The Jews who are about to be rescued chose to go to the US because they have relatives and friends in the Satmer community in Monsey, so chances are this is the community they will join. Additionally, according to a statement released by the Jewish Agency, “we believe Israel is the preferred destination for Jews leaving countries of distress.”